The Simulacrum

92%
Game Brain Score Based on 103 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • replayability
The Simulacrum Game Cover
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"The Simulacrum" is a narrative-driven psychological horror game that challenges players to solve puzzles and uncover the truth behind a mysterious experiment. As the player, you'll take on the role of a research assistant working in a secluded facility, tasked with exploring the eerie world of the simulacrum and its enigmatic creator. With each new revelation, the line between reality and simulation blurs further, forcing players to confront their own perceptions and fears.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

92%
Audience ScoreBased on 103 reviews
gameplay4 positive mentions
optimization3 negative mentions
  • The game offers a unique and fun experience with procedurally generated cards, providing endless replayability and interesting strategies.
  • Despite its rough edges, the core mechanics are engaging, and the developers are responsive to feedback, quickly addressing bugs and issues.
  • The various game modes, especially the Delve mode, allow for creative deck building and challenging boss battles, making it enjoyable for fans of card games.
  • The game suffers from significant bugs, including cards freezing and unplayable states, which can disrupt gameplay and ruin runs.
  • A lack of a proper tutorial leaves new players struggling to understand the mechanics, leading to a steep learning curve.
  • The user interface and graphics are underwhelming, and the game feels unpolished, which can detract from the overall experience.
  • gameplay26 mentions

    The gameplay is characterized by a unique delving system that features procedurally generated cards, offering a variety of modes including constructed play and AI battles. While the tutorial is criticized for its lack of clarity, players appreciate the deep mechanics, strategic variety, and addictive nature of the game, likening it to popular titles like Magic: The Gathering and Slay the Spire. Despite some balance issues and a steep learning curve, the core combat mechanics and emergent gameplay provide a rewarding experience with high replay value.

    • “The gameplay is mostly a delving system that generates a deck for you, and then creates additional cards as you go through a decision tree to fight battles, meet odd encounters which may mutate your cards, and eventually face off against three bosses.”
    • “Incredible game with super deep mechanics and infinite replay value due to the AI generation of the cards.”
    • “An exciting card game, interesting mechanics, a huge variety of strategies and combinations.”
    • “When you load into the tutorial (which is probably the only bad thing I have to say since it doesn't really explain anything, and it took some playing to learn various mechanics -- see the basic guide written by the dev instead) and complete it, you are presented with a few different modes.”
    • “The actual free-play deckbuilding feels meaningless when you set the difficulty for your gameplay with a constructed deck yourself; it would be a much improved game with a ranking per deck and repeated opponents at an adjusted difficulty.”
    • “The roguelike/lite portion of the game (delving) can be fickle at times if you get some 'bad' cards, or a battle against an overpowered opponent, but once you get the hang of the mechanics and how events and things play out, it becomes pretty fun.”
  • graphics10 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the stunning visuals and immersive art style, while others note rough edges in the UI and animations. Although the graphics may not be polished, they are considered functional and appealing, particularly for fans of the genre. Overall, the game's innovative design and intriguing artwork help to offset its graphical shortcomings.

    • “This card game with interesting collections of cards and good graphics attracts the attention of fans of this genre of games.”
    • “With stunning visuals and intriguing gameplay, it's a must-play!”
    • “I love looking at the procedurally-generated artwork; it's so trippy.”
    • “This game is interesting and innovative enough that I'm willing to overlook bad UI design, bad graphics, poorly-worded cards, and weird timing issues (where effects of cards happen before the cards get displayed, for example).”
    • “And while I'm very into procedurally generated gameplay components, I'm also very not into the commercial use of uncredited artwork, or the work generated using it as source material.”
    • “Graphics and UI are rough, but if you're getting into this, you're doing so to explore the question: 'What if Magic: The Gathering was modded with a randomizer?'”
  • replayability9 mentions

    The game's replayability is highlighted by its potential for depth and variety, particularly through its draft mode and AI-generated content, which can create nearly infinite scenarios. However, some players note that the experience can become repetitive due to facing the same decks and cards frequently. Overall, while the game offers fun and engaging mechanics, its replayability may vary based on player engagement and ongoing improvements.

    • “Incredible game with super deep mechanics and infinite replay value due to the AI generation of the cards.”
    • “Pretty fun and addicting with theoretically infinite replayability due to randomly generated content (even cards).”
    • “Not nearly enough replayability for how ambitious it is, but more than enough to pay for itself many times over.”
    • “Draft (delve) is where replayability lies, but you face the same decks too often, the same cards even.”
    • “The randomness of the game makes it incredibly replayable, but not always balanced.”
  • story3 mentions

    The game's storyline is described as engaging and intriguing, though some players feel it lacks a cohesive narrative, relying instead on the lore of individual bosses. While this lore may appeal to some, others desire a more developed story and enhanced audio elements to enrich the experience.

    • “Engaging and intriguing storyline.”
    • “The bosses you encounter have lore behind each of them, which adds depth to the experience.”
    • “The game could definitely benefit from more music and sound effects to enhance the storytelling.”
    • “There isn't really a story to the game, but the bosses you encounter have lore behind each of them. While I'm personally not invested in that, some players might have wanted more depth.”
    • “It could definitely use some music and sound effects, as well as a more engaging story.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    The game is praised for its strong optimization, running smoothly on a wide range of hardware while also featuring unique mechanics.

    • “The game is well optimized and has unique mechanics.”
    • “Performance-wise, the game runs fine on almost anything.”
    • “The game suffers from severe optimization issues, causing frequent frame drops and stuttering.”
    • “Despite the game's potential, the lack of proper optimization makes it nearly unplayable on lower-end systems.”
    • “I was disappointed to find that even on high-end hardware, the game struggles with performance and optimization.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    Players appreciate that the game simplifies matches into quick, strategic combats, reducing the tedium often associated with grinding. However, acquiring cards through purchasing singles and random packs is seen as a tedious process, with limited options for spending in-game currency. Overall, the grinding experience is considered manageable but could be improved.

    • “Buying singles and random packs is just a tedious way to get cards, leaving no good way to spend your gold.”
  • stability1 mentions

    The game is generally enjoyable, but it suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent bugs that can cause cards to freeze and become unplayable, indicating a need for substantial improvements.

    • “Not a terrible game, very buggy. It definitely needs a lot of work as some cards straight up freeze and then clog up your hand as unplayable, but overall it's fun.”
  • atmosphere1 mentions

    The game is praised for its immersive atmosphere, complemented by intuitive controls that enhance the overall experience.

    • “The atmosphere is incredibly immersive, drawing you into the game's world.”
    • “Every detail contributes to a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere that keeps you on edge.”
    • “The sound design and visuals create a captivating atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.”
  • humor1 mentions

    The humor in the game is highlighted through its interesting and occasionally funny bosses, contributing to an engaging experience alongside its nice and minimalistic design.

    • “The humor in the game is cleverly woven into the dialogue and character interactions, making every encounter a delight.”
    • “I love how the game balances challenging gameplay with hilarious moments that keep me laughing.”
    • “The quirky characters and their witty one-liners add a unique charm that makes the experience unforgettable.”
  • music1 mentions

    Reviewers feel that the game lacks sufficient music and sound effects, suggesting that these elements, along with a narrative, would enhance the overall experience.

    • “The game could definitely use some music and sound effects to enhance the experience.”
    • “There is a noticeable lack of engaging music, which makes the gameplay feel dull.”
    • “The soundtrack is repetitive and fails to create an immersive atmosphere.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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